First impressions

Days after booking our tickets for this mysterious new music festival hosted by Livescape Asia, we were winging our way to the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore.

As we got in our Uber (official partner of It’s The Ship) our excitement began to build alongside nerving anticipation; we had absolutely no idea what we were about to experience! Was it going to be some sort of fancy cruise, a classic music festival, or was there a chance that we would be packed aboard some sort of insane blow-out ship party?!

Our ship: Voyager of the Seas

Day one on the ship was an organised affair; check in was smooth with no queues to report and so many helpful staff we thought that we had rocked up to the crew after party. From there we boarded The Ship, chucked away our passports to some official looking folk and entered our cabin to the tune of banging house music blasting out through the intercom system alongside an eccentric (and legendary) festival captain with his announcements on the latest goings on around the fun-packed ship. A good sign of things to come, we thought!

We quickly scouted out the swimming pools and hot tubs ready to go up on top deck, a main stage fit for a cruise ship and great tunes sounding out into the fresh sea air. A rather posh (and free – like all the meals onboard!) dinner in one of the ships dining rooms and many Coronas later, we found ourselves gallivanting around various stages doing our best to take in the hugely varied music selection spun by global headliners and underground DJs alike.

An awesome line up

The line-up for the event included big names like Dash Berlin, Basement Jaxx, Sick Individuals, ISAAC, DBSTF, CHVRCHES, alongside many more well-known and also lesser discovered artists from Asia and beyond.

Alex Metric’s sets were of particular note: one on the Ship as well as B2B fun with Aeroplane at the beach party on day three. That’s right: if 5 days on a cruise ship with 4 nights of pool parties, a secluded hot tub stage and a rave in the onboard club, Studio B, weren’t already enough, on the third day we docked into the island of Langkawi in Malaysia.

Langkawi beach party blowout!

I was expecting to rock up to a beach with a small stage and maybe a few beach bars to party around – but I couldn’t have been more wrong. A beach festival in its own right; the Langkawi beach party came complete with a huge stage, plenty of bars and food stalls, water football pitch, beach volleyball and plenty of places to shade for the likes of pale old me!

We had just turned up to a festival within a festival, completely exclusive for us shipmates. Dash Berlin got stuck into the water football quickly while other headliners lounged around on the beach among fans – where else but at It’s The Ship!

Headlined by Lil Jon and his own brand of hard-hitting bass-heavy bangers, the beach sets finished around 10pm after which time we were efficiently bussed back to the ship where the party kicked off yet again, with most revellers to be found having the time of their lives in the hot tubs, fists pumping in the air and partying until the sun was on its way to greet everyone once again!

Added extras – because it’s not just a party…

The captain himself

As well as the music, activities with the artists themselves such as mini golf with Alex Metric and Aeroplane, a scotch and cigar night with Sick Individuals, an autograph signing with Dash Berlin and a DJ workshop with DJ Craze (turntablist and scratch maestro) were all laid on as a selection of side events to compliment the musical goodness…

Throw in a complimentary gala dinner and champagne reception, a swanky onboard casino and a private party with Sasha Grey at the helm on the final night and there you have it: to quote our captain, it’s not just a party – It’s The Ship yo!

The verdict

While this is in no way a budget event, I promise you that this is was one of the most awesome music experiences of my life! And having had the pleasure of speaking to some of the organisers, everyone sounds super keen to repeat the madness and host it again in 2015. All I have to say is… sign me up!